Tom Finds His Vision

Tom's vision was simple. He wanted to be able to be the only "One Stop Shop" in the Baltimore area that would provide fair prices for his customers. He balked at the current mentality by his competitors who priced services at any price because they were the only company in town who provided said service.

Since he was running a shop, Tom understood his customers depended on him to find a tow truck from time to time when they needed to get their vehicle to his shop. Tom would receive bills that were not consistent and almost always had unexplained high prices. He would think, "I understand the high prices if I am getting high-quality service, but there was no justification for such high prices with such poor services." He decided to purchase his own tow truck and provide service to his customers directly.

Tom runs his business with six simple basic ideas:

Teamwork!
Integrity first!
Take pride in all you do!
Become a fleet that can't be beat!
Let's set the standard and make the trends!
It's never the best; there is always something we can improve on.

With this drive to succeed, "The sky's the limit!" Tom says.

Tom Implements His Vision

The first thing he did was create a pricing system that was fair. That was followed by polite, courteous customer service, and a good response time instead of making his customers wait. Next, he made sure customers had the ability to contact an employee around the clock if they needed it.

With this simple plan, The Auto Barn grew and gained trust rather quickly among the local community. So much so, he was able to expand with another tow truck in 1989, an International Rollback with an 18' bed purchased from his friends at West End International.

Tom Expands with Wreckers

Tom remembers this day with a smile and great pride, "I knew I was on to something!" So, why not expand from automobiles to other facets in this industry? In just a short time, he noticed that the same problem with overpricing and good customer service remained true in the big truck industry as well. With that knowledge in mind, Tom purchased his first big wrecker in 2000.

Now that he was flourishing with business and had customers who trusted him and his work, it was almost an eye-opener for his customers to know that finally a business would put their priorities at heart to make an equitable business relationship instead of a one-sided one.

Tom Grows and Begins Mentoring and Training

From the very first day, Tom worked for and eventually owned The Auto Barn. He has always expected a high level of dedication from every employee. All drivers have been personally trained and sent to school for additional training to assure every driver at The Auto Barn is the foremost in this industry.

It is said by every employee with a smile, "Tom knows." He is a constant water flow of information and knowledge in this industry. All of his employees have been impacted in some way by his daily interaction with them. Whether his employees have made mistakes or need to learn, Tom is willing to grab a wrench and assist anyone in the shop. He is always ready to teach effective ways to serve customers better.

What Drives Tom?

Tom is a firm believer in his people and the example they set for this industry every single time they encounter a customer. He requires hard work from everyone and rewards it constantly. He has always been driven by success, and the rewards success brings to his family, employees, customers, and himself.

Tom has a personal goal to make his mark on this earth as well as for people to respect him and the decisions he has made. If his goal was to make a mark, then a mark he has made. It's the marks he will continue to make in the future that have us all anxious!